Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone with US President Donald Trump’s special representative, Steve Witkoff, late at night. Trump provided a statement regarding the conversation. The US President stated, “We had a very good and constructive meeting with Putin on the phone. I asked him to spare the lives of Ukrainians. This is a very good chance for the war to finally come to an end.”

Trump mentioned that thousands of Ukrainian soldiers are currently surrounded, warning that there could be a massacre not seen since World War II.

A statement was also released by the Kremlin. Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov mentioned that Putin had signaled to Trump through Witkoff. Peskov also noted that Putin received information from Witkoff regarding the US’s stance on Ukraine. Peskov expressed cautious optimism about the ceasefire plan and stated that both sides understood the need for such a call.